I lied.The baby was definitely Grant’s, not Ronan’s. I mean I was on birth control with Ronan and I didn’t bring it on the journey with me and Grant and I definitely didn’t take any kind of precautions. I was pregnant with my husband’s brother’s baby. The Moon Goddess would never forgive me.However, I would pretend this baby was Ronan’s to keep everything simple and save everyone’s life. Mine, my packs, Grant’s.Though I really shouldn’t care about Grant’s life. He murdered my father and lied to me about it. He let me think that Ronan was the cause for me losing the last of my family. I couldn’t be with someone like that. I had to be with someone I could actually trust. Sure Ronan was aggressive and mean but he tried not to lie to me. I was sure he meant it when he said he wouldn't hurt me again, even if it wasn't true. It was all about intent. I would have to once again suck it up and accept that my life was with Ronan. He was my husband and I hoped he would be a great father.
The packhouse looked kind of different.It wasn’t as bright as it was before and there was just an air of depression and sadness about it. I had already found it quite depressing because of my situation but this was even worse. “Where is everyone?” Grant asked. “I imagine our people are locked up,” Ronan commented. “See if you can get to the prisons, Grant.”“Be safe.” I whispered. “Death would be so much better than what’s to come.” He muttered before hurrying off. “So what do I do?” I asked Ronan.“You stay close to me and keep yourself out of trouble. No fighting for you.”“What? I want to fight with you, darling.”“You are carrying precious cargo, my love. You cannot fight.” He kissed me before taking my hand. We tiptoed through the courtyard, still wildly confused about how empty it all was. Where in the world was everyone?“I think we can actually make it into the house,” Ronan whispered, tugging my hand. We go to the front door. Something wasn’t right. It all felt too eas
When I opened my eyes I was back in my old room.The room I had grown up in. I had lost my virginity in this room. Ewan proposed to me here. I spent so many happy and sad nights here. So much of my life occured in this small perfect little room.And now I was back. I slowly got dressed in confusion. What was I doing back here? I thought the house had been destroyed. I made my way down to the kitchen. A man was facing away from me in front of the stove. It smelled amazing!“Hello,” I stated. He turned around and smiled. “There’s my girl!”I took in his familiar look. His salt and pepper hair, his slightly weathered brown skin, the warm smile on his face. He was home.It was my dad.I hurried over to him and hugged him tightly. “I missed you.”“Yeah, I missed you too, honey.” He kissed the top of my head. “Sit down, breakfast will be done soon.”I did as he said and sat at the table. I noticed something strange.“Daddy, why are there three place settings?”“There should always be thr
I couldn’t believe it.The baby was actually Ronan’s. Even though I had done everything to not get pregnant with him it still happened. How insane and unfair was that?The only reason I had been so okay with having this child was I thought that it would have Grant's heart and I could work with that. I could keep them sweet like their father. But if this child had so much of Ronan in it, who knows what it could turn out like?Probably just like Ronan did. It would see what Ronan did. A powerful Alpha who controlled his Luna and everyone else with an iron fist. It would watch Ronan yell at me and put me in my place countless times. If it was a boy he would think that's how a marriage should be. If it’s a girl, she would think the same and seek men just like her father.I was so scared for my child. “How are you feeling Bowen?” I looked up and saw Ronan. I was now back in my room on bedrest for the rest of the week.“I’m good, darling, I just need some rest I guess.”“I’m so glad you a
I was nauseous as hell.Being pregnant was not a walk in the park and I hadn’t even started showing yet. “What’s wrong?” Grant asked. “I think I’m gonna…” I raced to the trash bin and threw up. Grant rubbed my back soothingly. “Just get it all out.”“This is miserable!” I whined. “Why am I always throwing up?”“That’s just how it is I guess.”“Why are you touching my wife?” Ronan’s voice came from behind us.Grant quickly pulled his hand away. “I was just trying to comfort her.”“Well that’s my job.” Ronan kneeled next to me. “Are you okay, sweetheart?”“Just a little morning sickness,” I smiled weakly. “It’s the afternoon, my love.”“Yeah, what’s up with that?” I questioned as he helped me up.I went to the bathroom to wash my mouth out. Ronan came up behind me. “You look beautiful.”“Thank you, darling. I feel like garbage.”“I know. What can I do to make you feel better?”“You know those crackers I really like? The ones that are really hard to get? I would love those.” I state
I was becoming so excited with my pregnancy.I loved my bump and thought I looked so cute with it. Ronan loved touching and kissing it, not to mention talking to it. I thought it was absolutely adorable.I do believe my bump made Grant more upset. It was proof that there really was a child inside of me that he didn’t create. He didn’t talk to me much, even when we were alone. It was exactly the way Ronan had wanted it. Grant miserable with our happiness and having a front row seat to it. It was sick and twisted, but I understood. I guess that’s why you don’t fuck your brother’s wife. I was becoming exhausted again and spent a lot of days in bed, just watching television and eating my special crackers. They were so good and helped with the sickness. Grant would just sit in the armchair and watch whatever I put on and not say a word. He would occasionally laugh or scoff at the drama of the show, but that was it. This particular morning I couldn’t drag myself out of bed. I was real
“Beg your pardon?”“Beta Tara and Beta Grant are going to get married to solidify this alliance. It will join our families the way we need to. It’s going to be great.” Ronan smiled.“Does um…is Beta Tara even okay with being sold off like that?” I asked. “Yes, actually. She really likes Grant. She says she feels a bond with him. Like a mate one.”“Well, does he feel it for her? Does he know about this?”“I’m going to tell him tomorrow at breakfast.”“Well what if he says no?” I questioned. “He can’t. He has to marry Beta Tara. She’ll come to live with us at The Eclipse Pride.”“Oh…darling do you think this is the best way to go about this alliance?”“Of course I do, that’s why I’m doing it. You don’t think it’s a good idea?”“I think it’s very fast and a little unfair to Grant.”“Why do you care about Grant? Do you have feelings for him or something?”Yes. I hadn’t realized it, but I absolutely still loved Grant deeply. I didn’t want to see him with another woman, I wanted him with
“Listen to everything Luna Alice says today,” Ronan stated. “You look for any signs of lies and weakness.”“Ronan, she probably knows exactly how much I know about what you do with the pack. I doubt she’s going to reveal anything important to me.”“Just be on the lookout for it is all I’m saying.”“Okay, but isn’t the alliance kind of secured?” I questioned. “Grant is going to ask Tara to marry him.”“I know that, but we have to take all the precautions we can. This is really important sweetheart.”I nodded. “Okay, I will pay close attention.”“And tell her how much you love being pregnant too,” Ronan smiled. “Alpha Conrad will be very happy if she has his baby.”“I will try to convince her darling.” I kissed him. “Anything for you.”--“So what is it like to be the Luna of the Eclipse Pride?” Luna Alice asked me. “It’s absolutely wonderful, actually. I love it.”“We’re alone, Luna Bowen, you can be honest with me.”“I am.”“Really? You love being the Luna of a pack that slaughtered
“Hello, Scarlet Manes and Eclipse Pride,” I started.It was two days later. I had pretended to mourn and cry like a Luna was supposed to and now it was time to address them all.“It is with a heavy heart that I announce that both Alpha Conrad and my husband Alpha Ronan are dead. An unfortunate misunderstanding led them to a vicious fight in which they both died from the wounds they sustained from one another. Luna Alice and I are both in mourning, but we wanted to address you to let you know things will be okay.”“The alliance will still stand,” Alice announced. “We will have a new Alpha: Tara. She has served under Alpha Conrad for many years and knows this pack better than anyone else. She will continue to take care of us.”“And for the Eclipse Pride, Beta Grant will take over the duties of Alpha and I will still be Luna. We have many ideas on how to make our packs even better and we will work alongside Alpha Tara and Luna Alice while we do that.” I declared.“I promise to take good
“Grant!” Tara shouted, pulling the cover up.. “Darling, this-this isn’t what it looks like, I swear! I just…”“Tara…please,” Grant whispered. “I actually don’t care.”“You don’t?”“Not even a little bit.”“Is this who you’re in love with, Alice?” I questioned. “Yes,” She squeaked. “I thought you said it was over.”“It was but…I couldn’t stay away. I mean she was always so close and beautiful. A-and Conrad clearly doesn’t want me anymore and Grant wasn’t being attentive enough.”“Sorry about that,” Grant muttered to Tara.“You were never going to love me were you?” She asked. “No…I’m in love with someone else.”“Bowen. I tried to ignore it, but it was kind of in my face all the time. Of course how could I judge? I’m in love with my brother’s wife too.”“Speaking of Conrad,” I started. “He’s going to kill you Alice.”“What? Why? Did he find out about me and Tara?” She asked hysterically.“No, he says you’re useless to him now since you’re not interested in him. He also wants to kill
Sometimes I felt like a single parent.Ronan paid Clio no attention and barely acknowledged her. Everyone else adored her. She was a beautiful and happy baby. She had just started smiling and it was the highlight of my life. “Hi pretty girl,” I cooed. “Aren’t you tired? You kept Mommy up all night, you must be tired!”Ronan never got up in the middle of the night to hold or comfort Clio. He always made me do it and claimed he was busy the next day and needed his rest. He couldn’t be busy every day.“Yes you did keep Mommy up all night with all your crying,” I rubbed my nose against hers. “But you’re so cute that I don’t even care.”“Hey,” Grant entered the nursery. “Did you get any sleep last night?”I shook my head. “I’ve gotten like eight hours all week. Ronan doesn’t help with anything.” “He’s a fucking loser like I thought he would be. He's useless!”“He’s just busy,” I muttered, setting Clio in her crib. She looked up at the crystal mobile with fascination. Ronan almost didn’t
“What?” Ronan roared. “No! I’m supposed to have a son!”“I’m sorry, Alpha Ronan, we thought it was a boy!” The healer shivered with fear.“Fuck! This ruins everything!”“Ronan,” I said softly. “Honey, please.”“No, Bowen, it’s supposed to be a boy! You were supposed to give birth to the future of the pack.”“She’s still our baby, Ronan. We still created a life together, that’s what you wanted.”“I thought you would have a boy.” He whispered. “This isn’t right.”The healer shakily walked over to me and put the baby in my arms. She was so beautiful. I couldn’t help but smile down at her. She was so tiny and perfect. How could Ronan be so mad about something so magnificent?“Ronan, darling just look at her,” I urged. He forced his eyes down to our daughter in my arms and I saw his face soften. “She looks like you.”“Right? Isn’t she amazing?”“Yeah, I guess she is.”“What should we name her? Some with an ‘R’?”“No, that's only for Alphas,” Ronan responded. “Um, I don’t know, you pick, I
“So how are things going with Alpha Conrad?” Trisha asked. “I’m handling him and everything has been fine.”That wasn’t entirely true. He had cornered me several times and forced kisses on me, but at least nothing to the extent of hand jobs and eating out had happened again. I was still toying with him and making him think I could possibly love him one day.Idiot.“Well that’s good. You’re learning how to keep things calm, Bowen.”“If Grant or Ronan found out how he’s been hounding me, they wouldn’t be pleased.”“Grant?” She raised her eyebrows. “What does he have to do with anything?”“He-he’s my bodyguard. It’s his job to protect me and if he finds out someone is making that job more difficult I’m sure he’d be upset.” I explained. “Is that the only reason he would be upset?”“What other reason would there be?”“I don’t know, I’m just curious.” Trisha chuckled. Oh she had to know something right? Otherwise why make such a comment?“I feel like you have something to say and you’re
I was looking at myself in the mirror.One year ago I did the same. I had to hype myself up so that I could have sex with Ronan. Tonight was completely different. I was excited to get into bed with Ronan and feel his hands on me. I wanted every second of pleasure. I had found the sexiest maternity lingerie that I could. I knew it would make Ronan happy. He liked seeing lace on me.“Bowen, is everything okay?” Ronan asked just like he had a year ago. “Yes, darling, I’m coming!” I smiled at myself before opening the door. Ronan was already in bed in nothing but his briefs, waiting for me. “Fuck,” He whispered. “You look amazing.”“Do you like it?” I asked. “I love it…get over here.”I strutted over the bed and straddled Ronan before leaning down to kiss him. His strong arms wrapped around me as his fingers gently slipped in my hair and gently pulled. I bit his lip and slowly pulled away, causing him to groan. My hips moved back and forth, grinding against him and feeling him beco
A year ago, I woke up happier than ever.I was so excited for what would happen later that day. I was going to marry the love of my life. I was going to stand across from him in front of the whole pack and profess my undying love for him. I was going to become Luna of the pack. I was ecstatic.I still remember bursting out of my room and seeing my father crying. They were happy tears. He had never been more happy that I had found someone who loved me as deeply as Ewan did. Everyone knew Ewan was head over heels over me. It was too obvious.Not just in the way he looked at me, but when he announced that he would give up his title just to be with me that sealed the deal. We were a couple desperately in love with each other and nothing could tear us apart.It was beautiful. From then on everyone was so excited for us, so ready to see us thrive as the leaders of this pack. My dad sat me down the morning of my wedding and told me how proud he was of me and that this was just the beginnin
“Can I talk to you girls about something?” Tara asked. This couldn't be good.“Sure,” Alice stated. “What is it?”“Sex.”Oh god no.“What um…what about it?” I asked.“Are we really the best people to discuss this with?” Alice questioned. “I mean we’re kind of all family.”“Not really we aren’t. I don’t have anyone else, Al, you know that,” Tara whispered. “I can’t ask Conrad about these things. You and Bowen are married and know about these things.”Alice sighed. “Okay, what is it?”“Well, Grant and I have been…intimate since our wedding night, only I always have to initiate.”“Does he not want to have sex with you?” Alice asked. “No, he does, once I initiate, but it seems like he’s never the one to make the first move. Bowen, would you know why that is?”“Why would I know why?” I questioned. “You’ve been around him for almost a year. Is he sexually shy or anxious? Does he worry about not being able to perform?” Tara pressed.Goodness, I didn’t want to have this conversation. “Um…
I slept like shit that night.All I could see was Conrad in front of me whimpering and moaning as he forced me to touch him. His horrid voice in my ear saying those uncomfortable things. I couldn’t believe how wrong about him I was.I thought he was nice and charming, but he was just a disgusting pervert. A man who had no problem cheating on his wife.I had to remind myself I was a cheater too and so was Alice, but not like that. I never forced Grant to do anything or locked him in a room with no escape. I was sure Alice didn’t act that way either. I mean Alice and I were actually in love when we cheated.On top of that, we were with men who had forced us to be with them. Our choices had been snatched from us and we just wanted one little thing that could make it all worth it. Something that would make us happy. We found that in other people.Conrad was just horny and sick.What’s worse is that Conrad knew I wouldn’t say anything. He knew that I knew better than to wreck an alliance